A new analysis published in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association argues that a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey was reused for a high-ranking medieval monk, Phys.org reports. Its author, abbey consultant archaeologist Warwick Rodwell, considers former abbot Aelfwig the likeliest occupant, while Aelfwig’s successor Wulnoth remains a viable candidate.
The limestone sarcophagus was excavated in 1869 with an inscription to Valerius Amandinus, a Briton who lived around A.D. 300 to 400. Its lid, however, bears a Latin cross dated to approximately the 10th or 11th century, suggesting a later burial, according to Phys.org.
A bone sample sent to the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre yielded a radiocarbon date of A.D. 987 to 1052, Phys.org reports. Rodwell says the result confirms late-Saxon reuse of the sarcophagus and remodeling of its cover. Human bone specialist James Young Langthorne estimated that the man was 35 to 49 years old.
When researchers opened the stone coffin in 2016, they found an almost complete skeleton and a rectangular outline marked by lime residue. Rodwell interprets that outline as evidence of a timber coffin that had decayed, Phys.org reports.
Aelfwig died around 1020; Wulnoth died in 1049. Rodwell says either could fit the age estimate if each became abbot in his early 20s and died close to 50. Aelfwig’s prior ties to the Westminster monastery might favor him, Rodwell says, but he calls both men viable contenders.
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